Insole for shoes



June l8 1926.

l D. P. CUMMINGS INSOLE FOR SHOES v 2 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 415 1925 Patented June s, 1926.

l 1,588,113" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

DAVID P. CUMMINGS, F NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO TURBl TREAD CORPORATION, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- smrs.

INsoLE Fon snoEs.

Application mea January 15, 1925. serial No. 2,e45.

This invention relates to insoles for boots and shoes and is intended to provide an 'improved tread surface for the'foot, of a character tending to control undue 'slipping of the foot on the shoe bottom, while also affording certain hygienic advantages incident to the use of. such a tread surface.

To this end the invention is characterized by an insole provided with a tread surface having a close or thick pile projecting upwardly to engage the bottom of the inserted foot, the pile threads being of relatively stiff material such asl Wool or hair usually slight- .ly inclined to the plane of the fabric for purposes hereinafter described.

As such a fabric should have. means for keeping it from displacement or wrinkling, I provide a stiifening layer of suitable material such as thin sole-leather, stilened canvas or both combined to act as a stiliening or retaining member to keep the more flexible pile fabric smooth and even.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated several forms of utilizing the principles of'this invention to meet different conditions and special requirements, of which i Figure 1 is a plan view of a shoe insole with a pile fabric insert cemented to a bota0 tom holding layer of canvas which is cemented to the bottom of a cut out layer of sole-leather, the pile threads projecting above the level of the sole leather layer to support lthe bearing parts of the tripod 86 of the foot; i

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof partly in section.

Figure 3 is a central longitudinal section through the fore-part of a welt shoe having 0) an insole construction like that shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 .is a central vertical section through the longitudinal axis of a shoe containing a pile fabric insole of sole'leather 4l covered throu hout with pile fabric and omitting the lottom reinforcing layer of canvas. y

Figure 5 is a plan view of the insole shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a vertical section o n the longitudinal axis ofa shoe of the-usual welt construction having a slip-in insole comprising a bottom la er of stiifening material and a top layer o pile fabric.

Figure 7 s ws a vertical lon itudinal section of an rdinary welt shoe aving a special slip-in -insole containingV a yieldmg pad to sup ort the forward or transverse arch of t e foot for corrective ypurposes.

Figure Sis anl enlarged view of the archsupporting insole shown in Figure 7 detached from the shoe.

Figure 9 is a plan view of the insole shown in Figures 7 Iand 8.

TheJ underlying principle of this invention 1s the utilization of a fabric having a relatively stiflI and close pile as a foot-supporting and engaging element, suchfor example as 1s afforded Lby, the cut pile of'a cllosely Woven velvet carpet or by mohair p us Since such pile fabrics are in themselves comparatively flexible, I provide one or more additional layers of stiifening material t-o retain the pile fabric in place and prevent it from wrinkling. Usually the i cut pile threads are inclined somewhat to the plane of the body or web of the fabric and this results in producing a tendency of' yheel of the foot snugly against the back or counter of the shoe and prevents the *foot from thrusting forwardly into the'narrow or toe portion of the fore-part while relieving ing. v

to the form illustrated-in- Figures 413,'I use for the shoe insole a layer Vof vthin lsole pressure against the instep when walk- In the practice of the inventiony according:

leather 1, to thebottom o fiwhich iscemented a reinforcing layer of canvas At-A the bearing points of thewfo'ot; namely, tliejballf andthe heel suitable .apertures oropenirr are cut out to form 'retaining pockets' as in -1` cated atl and 1b yfor receiving and retaining ball and heel inserted layers?, and "-4 ofA surface of the sole leather layer in order' that it may have supporting Contact with the superimposed foot. As indicated in Figures 2 and 3, the cut-pile threads are, inclined rearwardly to oppose the tendency of the foot to thrust forward in the shoe when walking.

In Figures 4 and 5 the insole 5'is the usual l sole leather insole without the cut-out pockets above mentioned and in this case the pile fabric layer 6 is cemented directly to-the top surface of the sole leather or stifening layer, and covers the whole surface. While I have mentioned sole leather as the material for the stiifening layer or element 5 it will be understood that any suitable or known substitute for sole leather vnsoles may in like manner be used for this purpose.

In Figure 6 is shown a slip-in insole comprising a stiifening layer 7 and a pile fabric layer secured to the'top surface of the stiening element. This insole is intended to make the invention applicable to shoes already made or being worn. As it is desirable that the over all thickness of such insole be as thin as possible consistent with its proper functioning in the shoe, the botltom or stifening layer 6 is preferabl made of thin laminated canvas or duck g ued or cemented together and a layer of adhesively "coated mohair plush cemented-thereto.

In Figures 8 and 9 I have shown a special form of arch-supporting' insole, provided with an elastic compressible pad inserted in a pocket or space between the stilfening element or layer 9 and the pile fabric element.

or layer 10. As' will be noticed, this type of insole is short extending only `from the heel to the ball portion of the shoe. In practice, the pile fabric layer 10 may be cemented to the stiil'ening layer 9 over the whole top surface thereof and the small disk 11 of sponge rubber or like compressible material may be inserted after 'the twok layers have been separated by a thin blade to form a' space or pocket at the front end of the short Iinsole in position to raise and yield- 1 ingly support the pronated or fallen transverse arch of the foot, the outline of such interspace'or pocket being indicated by dotted line 11 lof Fig. 9. Such arrangement permits the adjustment of the arch supporting pad to precisel meta-tarsal7 bfones of the foot and also allows reilacement of a compacted pad by a new one. v o prevent such s ifting or displacement of the short insole as would lead to an inthe correct position to raise the correct positioning of the pad 10, I provide adhesively coated exible tongues or tabs 12 which may be turned under the outer edge of the insole at the heel as shown in Figure 7 or may be adhesively attached to the lining of the heel counter.

Since the upper layer over the pad is of yielding material Whose action is beneficial and .agreeable to the foot, the formation of a small mound or prot-uberance beneath this portion of the foot hasno tendency to produce callous spots on the bottom 'of the foot.

In practice I have found that the use of a cut-pilefabric insole element exposed to contact with the foot in the various Ways aboveindicated not only renders shoes more comfortable andl agreeable to the wearer than when the foot rests directly upon hard sole leather, but that such contact lhas a marked hygienic value by promoting blood circulation in the foot and invigorating the muscles thereof by the constant but gentle massage obtained from the pile fabric when walking or moving about. This is markedly noticeable in cold Weather in the case of those troubled with coldness of the feet due to sluggish circulation, and makes it possible for those who are so troubled to wear low cut shoes, with comfort, in the Winter as well as inthe summer.

Ordinary stockings do not interfere with the described action of the cut pile threads on the bottom of the foot. Where the short insole is used any suitable means ma 'be employed for anchoring it against disp acement in the shoe, but as it' may be necessary to pull back the forepart of such insole to gain access to the pad-containing ocket for the purpose of replacing the pa the adhesive attaching tabs are preferred to coating the bottom ofthe insolewith cement and, thus gumming or cementing it to the inside face of the shoeV bottom, particularly as the usual leather insole, after a substantial period of contact with the foot, absorbs so much moisture that it does not form a goodsurface for the adhesion of a cementing or gumming medium.

In cases where there is not a pronounced inclination of the cut pile of the mohair plush, such an insole will, in some instances,

maintain its position when it is shaped to the The alternatecolla sing and straightening lll of the pile threads ave a substantlal ventilating effect and thus, coupled with the more or less non-absorbent nature of the fibre forming the pile, serves to minimize the absorption of moisturefrom the foot.

When the com osite insole is built in to the shoe after e 'fashion illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, for example, the heel portion of the mohair plush or pile fabric is stripped from the base layer and is turned down over the arch portion with the I gummed side u ypermost and the shoe is lasted with this layer folded in the manner described in order to avoid drivi the heelattaching nails through the ilefa ric layer. After the shoe is removed om the last the I folded over portion can be restored to its normal position and cemented to the underlying Y heel portion of the base layer,- thus covering up the heel attaching nails and at the same time protecting the' heel from contact there- Il with. What I claim is 1. A shoe bottom provided on its interior with a layer of textile fabric formed with closely arranged pile threads whose cut ends,

rejecting upwardly from the shoe bottom, orm a multiplicity of foot-contacting spinesA to yieldin ly support a superimposed foot, substantie y as described.

2. A shoe bottom whose inner sideis prol vided with a layer of textile .fabric formed with a multiplicity of closely arranged pile threadsA whose cut ends. project upwardl with a rearward inclination to form a multiplicity of foot-contacting spines which yield l rearwardl under the pressure of the foot,

substantie. y as described.

3. Ashoe bottom embracing in its construction a relatively stiff body element and a 'relatively iexible element of textile fibre 3l having upwardly projecting, closely arranged thread ends forming van elastic pile in supporting contact with the sole of a superfoot-engaging layer of pile fabricwith the I cut ends of the pile threads projecting upwardly to engage vand support the foot, substantially as described.

' 5. A tread layer for the interior of .a shoe bottom comprisin a textile fabric element having short, thic cut-pile threads projecting upward to form an elastic foot-contacting tread, substantiall as described.

6. An insole for a s 0e embracing a-layer of mohair plush correspondin substantiall to the contour of the shoe inso e and rovi ed on its bottom with a coating of a yesive for cementing it, pile threads uppermost, to the inside face of the shoe bottom.

7 A shoe insole embracing a relatively stiff foundation layer and a top layer of mohair plush secured to said foundation layer to prevent dis lacement, the closely arranged u war y proecting short pile thread emi; of the pl being inclined toward the heel end of the insole to yield rearwardly under the pressure of the wearers foot.l

In 'witness whereof, I have subscribed the above specification.

DAVID P. CUMMINGS. 

